Dr Leigh Downes

Professional biography

I joined the Open University in May 2015. Prior to this I worked at Independent Domestic Abuse Services in York and North Yorkshire, was employed on various research projects as a Research Associate at Durham University (including Project Mirabal) and lectured at University of Leeds, University of Birmingham and University of York. I have a PhD and MA in Gender Studies from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies at the University of Leeds. I have also worked as a helpline volunteer for Sheffield Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre and as a volunteer for Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland.

Research interests

The overarching aim of my work is to document and honour the lived complexities, struggles of, and impacts on, survivors of violence who are marginalised by the criminal legal system and systemic oppression including: anti-authoritarian social movements, LGBTQI+ communities, racially minoritized groups, and sex workers. This constitutes a critical exploration of criminal justice, third or specialist sector and community responses to gender-based violence with particular attention to intersections of race, class, disability, gender, age and sexuality.

My research areas:

• Trauma-informed and social justice approaches in teaching, learning and research: I have led and collaborated on various projects to better understand and support students to engage with sensitive and emotive topics in criminology and co-create resources to support mental wellbeing for distance, commuter and part-time students. I have a particular interest in collaborating with others to imagine possibilities for trauma-informed and social justice approaches in violence and abuse studies.
• Trans prisoner experience and gender incongruence in prison regimes in England and Wales: I am writing up research conducted at one men's prison with Dr. Abi Rowe based on interviews with 7 trans and non-binary prisoners, 3 cisgender prisoners and 7 cisgender prison staff members to explore how social processes, responses and reactions shape the lived experiences of trans prisoners.
• Queer survivor collective futures: I am currently leading a project that explores the ways in which trans and queer survivors heal from harm inflicted by the institutions, cultures and services that they have been/are reliant on for care, safety and justice. Trauma-informed, creative and arts-based storytelling approaches will be centred to generate collective knowledge that: (i) examines needs (ii) critiques institutions, and (iii) imagines more caring, just and healing collective futures outside of and beyond existing narratives, institutions and services.

Teaching interests

I work on a number of modules in social policy and criminology. This has included DD305 Personal Lives and Social Policy, DD105 Introduction to Criminology, DD311: Crime, Harm and the State, and DD315 Researching Current Issues in Criminology.

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy with a specific interest in trauma-informed learning and vicarious trauma prevention.

PhD Supervision

I enjoy postgraduate supervision and welcome inquiries from students working in the following areas:

•  violence, abuse and harm
•  anti-trans/queer violence
•  survivor resistance, healing and recovery
•  trauma-informed praxis

Past and current PhD students

• Kiran Nihalani (awarded 2020) Reframing and Re-enacting Welfare: An empirical exploration of small-scale, horizontal forms of ‘help’. 
• Shannon Martin (2021-present) Decolonising the University: A Case Study of the Open University. 
• Ellie Hutchinson (2024-present) A Critical Examination of Community Responses to Young People's Use of Harmful Behaviours in their Intimate Relationships.
• Kelly Forbes-Hallam (2024-present) An exploratory study of the prevalence and impact of technology facilitated coercive control in the pre-smart device age (1960 -2008).

Impact and engagement

I have presented my research both nationally and internationally. I have been an invited speaker at Lesbian Lives, The Afterlives of Protest and The Reykjavik Dialogue: Renewing activism to end violence against women. I have shared and discussed research findings with communities in a variety of accessible formats including zines, reports, toolkits, workshops and blogs. I have also published articles in The Conversation, Open Democracy, Transforming Society, Times Higher Education Campus, and the Harm and Evidence Research Collaborative blog.

External collaborations

I have collaborated with various third sector and grassroots groups including Southall Black Sisters, Sisters Uncut, Women Against Rape, Black Women's Rape Action Project and the Salvage collective.

I am currently developing research as part of the Open Societal Challenge Queer Survivor Collective Futures. I am more than happy to receive inquiries from individuals and groups who are interested in collaborating in this project.

International links

I am an editorial board member of the Journal of Gender Studies and peer reviewer for Journal of Gender-based Violence, Mortality, British Journal of Social Work, Theoretical Criminology, The Sociological Review, Sexualities, Feminist Review, Feminist Theory, Feral Feminisms, Women and Music, and Gender & Society.

I am a member of the British Sociological Association, Feminist Studies Association UK and Ireland, Feminist Gender Equality Network, European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control, AtGender and Feminist Autonomous Centre for Research.